Cam released clutch



Patented Aug. 7, 1951 CAM RELEASED CLUTCH William P. Oehler and Guy W.Ade, Moline, Ill., assignors to Deere & Company, Moline, 11]., acorporation of Illinois i Original application September 19, 1945,Serial 7 Claims.-

1 This application is a division of our co-pending patent application,Serial No. 617,238, filed September 19, 1945.

The present invention relates generally to agricultural implements andmore particularly toimplements for planting and fertilizing.

The object and general nature of the present invention is the provisionof a new and improved planting and fertilizer attachment particularlyadapted for mounting on a tractor equipped with cultivating tools. Morespecifically, an important feature of this invention is the provision ofnew and improved controlling mechanism for the planting and fertilizingunits and new and improved means whereby the dispensing of the seed andfertilizer is controlled by the cultivator raising and loweringmechanism which is connected to raise and lower the planting andfertilizing furrow openers. It is also a feature of this -invention toprovide new and improved means associated with the cultivator rigs,particularly the raising -and lowering mechanism therefor, whereby theplanting and fertilizing furrow openers are raised automatically. 7,

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will beapparent to those skilled in the art after a consideration of thefollowing detailed description of the preferred form in which theprinciples of the present invention have been incorporated and which areillustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a tractor cultivator with which isassociated planting and fertilizing attachments incorporating theprinciples of the present invention. I

Figure !2 is an enlarged detail of the throwout u Referring first toFigure l, the new and improved planter and fertilizer "attachments withwhich the present invention is more particularly concerned is shown asmounted on a farm tractor i -on-which right and left hand cultivatorattachments 2 are mounted. These cultivator attachments are, in general,identicalan'd therefore corresponding parts of the rightand left handunits will be indicated by the-same reference numerals. The same is trueof the planter and fertilizer attachments. The tractor l is largelyconventional, embodying right and left hand framebars 5 supported attheir front ends on front steering wheels 6 and connected at their rearends with the motor and transmission unit to which right and left handaxle housings are connected. A rear axle shaft is supported for rotationin each g Divided and this application July 22, 1947, Serial No. 762,702

of the axle housings. Each of the cultivator attachments 2 includes alaterally outwardly ex,- tending draft bar ll formed with or attached toan attaching plate at its inner end by which the draft bar may be fixedto the side of the tractor, Each draft bar II receives a pair ofcultivator rigs indicated generally at 2! and 22. Each rig includes arig beam 25 to the forward endof which a pair of standards 26 are fixed,as by bolts 21. The standards-26 are aper-tured to receive bolts, orpins which pivotally connect to th? standards the rear ends of a pair ofupper and lower links 28 and 2 9 which, at their forward ends arepivoted, as at .3: and 32, to an attaching bracket 33 which is clampedto the draft bar II by any suitable means, such as a U-bolt 34. Each ofthe brackets 33 is extended upwardly, as at 37, and is apertured toreceive suitable bearing means sup-porting a rockshaft 38 on the draftbar H. -A pair of lifting arms 39 is fixed to. the rockshaft 38 by anysuitable means, such as a U-bolt 4|, and the outer end of each liftingarm 39 carries a swivel. 44 through which a lifting rod 65 extends. Thelower :end 'of each lifting rod 55 is bent laterally,.as at 46, andinserted through an opening in the lower link 29. A compression spring41 is disposed between each swivel 44 and an abutment collar or the likefixed to the lower a portion of the associated lifting link E5.

A clamp casting '5! is fixedto the front end standards 26 securedthereto, and each member 5| includes a lower clamping. cap 53 andassociated bolt means 54 which secure a spread bar 55a to the cultivatorrig beams 2.5. The spread her 55c thus holds the .two cultivator-rigbeams 25 rigidly together so that they .are raised and loweredsimultaneously whenever the rockshaft -38 is rocked. Each of therockshafts 38 carries an upwardly extending arm 6 I, preferably weldedthereto, each arm 6| being apertured to receive suitable meansconnecting the front end ,of ,a longitudinally extending liftmemberthereto. The lift member at each side of the tractoris actuated in anysuitable manner and is shifted generally longitudianlly to raise thetools, as in a conventional tractor mounted cultivator.

As mentioned above, and as shown in Figure 1, the clamps 5| are mountedon the cultivator rig beams 25 rearwardly of the standards 26 and thespread bar 55a has a pair of. mountingor sup: porting plates 36I and 362welded or otherwise permanently fixed thereto in laterally spaced apartrelation. A fertilizer furrow opener lllll having a furrow opener runnerH]! and a fertilizer boot I92 is bolted to the inner plate 362 andreceives fertilizer from a fertilizer tube 265. Between the twomounting'plates 36I and 362 is a seeding unit I05, comprising a suitableseed boot and support I06 bolted between the adjacent portions of theplates 36I and 362 and provided with a double disk seed furrow openerI01. A pair of press wheels is mounted in a press wheel frame II2 whichis made up of bars I04 pivoted at II3 to the plates 36I and 362. Thepress wheel frame II2 may float free, or it may be fixed to the plates36I and 362, as by tightening locking bolts I08 which extend throughslots I09 in the plates 36I and 362. The double disk furrow opener I01is of the variable depth type, and the supporting casting I06 receivesthe lower end of a seed tube 264. Normally, the furrow opener I01 isdisposed substantially midway between the two ring beams 25 while thefertilizer furrow opener IOI is disposed slightly to one side of thecenter line. The seed furrow opener unit I05 is secured in place betweenthe spaced apart plates 36I and 362 by bolts 363 or the like. In thisform of the invention, it is a very simple matter to attach and removethe planting and fertilizing unit merely by loosening the caps 53,sliding the spread bar 55a to one side until one end clears the clamp5|, and then shifting the entire unit in the other direction until it isclear ofthe other clamp.

For selecting and dispensing seed and fertilizer for delivery to thefurrow opener units I and I05, there are provided seed and fertilizerhoppers at the side of the tractor, as shown in more detail in ourparentapplication identified above. Briefly, each seed hopper is supported ona mounting bracket I84 which comprises a platform or base member I86extending generally laterally with respect to the tractor and having anouter brace I81 which is fixed to the member I86 at its upper end and atits lower end is secured to the frame of the tractor. A second braceI84a is secured at its upper end to the inner end of the base memberI86, the member I84a extending downwardly, forwardly and inwardly andbolted, as at I9I, to the frame 5 of the tractor. The base member I86 is'apertured, as at I92, to receive bolts by which a seed hopper bottom issecured to the member I86. The base member I86 4 and 214 making up acompound sprocket member 215. The member 215 is rotatable on the shaft201 and is prevented from being displaced axially inwardly by means of awasher 211 and a cotter 218, as shown in Figure 2. The member 215 isformed at its outer face with a plurality of clutch teeth 219 which areadapted to cooperate with corresponding clutch teeth 28I formed on aclutch member 283 that is non-roreceives the seed hopper, and thefertilizer hopper is mounted partly on the seed hopper and partly on thesingle outer support 240 which is bolted at 243 to the frame 5 of thetractor. The fertilizer hopper may readily be attached or detachedmerely by loosening the support 240 to permit the outer part of thehopper bottom to be swung downwardly to a point sufficient to bedisconnected from the seed hopper, as explained in more detail in ourparent application.

As mentioned above, at each side of the tractor there is mounted a unitincluding a seed hopper and a fertilizer hopper, the seedin mechanismbeing actuated by the shaft 201 and associated parts, which also drivesthe fertilizer dispensing mechanism, both seeding and fertilizingmechanisms thus being driven from the shaft 201. Each shaft 201 isdriven from the tractor rear axle at that side of the tractor by asprocket and chain construction, including throwout clutch means C whichwill now be described, and which forms the principal subject matter ofthe present invention.

Mounted on each tractor axle shaft is a sprock et over which a sprocketchain 212 is trained. At its forward end the chain 212 is trained overone or the other of the two sprocket sections 213 tatably connected withthe shaft 201. The clutch member 283 is provided at its outer side witha radial flange 285 and also with a plurality of spring-receivingrecesses 286 disposed generally about a central opening 281 formed inthe member 283. The opening 281 preferably is square in section and isadapted to receive the squared portion 288 of a companion cam-receivingabutment member 289 having at its outer end a rounded head portion 29Iwhich is of larger diameter than the portion 288. A plurality of springs293 is disposed between the head 29I and the clutch member 283, thesprings 293 seating respectively in the spring-receiving openings orsockets 286. The member 289 is provided with a through opening 294 whichreceives the shaft 201, and a pin 295 is inserted through openings inthe member 289 and through an opening in the outer end portion of theshaft 201. The outer end of the pin 295 is provided with an annulargroove 30I into which a spring wire 302 is adapted to seat. The springwire 302 has a flattened end 303 so that when the wire 302 is forcedinto an opening formed in the head 29l, the spring wire 302 is held inplace therein and yieldingly holds the pin 295 against accidentaldisplacement. However, when it is desired to detach the clutch parts itis a simple matter to move the wire 302 out of the groove 30I and takeout the pin 295, after which all of the clutch parts, including thesprockets 213 and 214, may be removed from the drive shaft 201.

The clutch C is controlled by a connection with the lifting rockshaft38. Referring now to Figure 1, an arm 3II is provided with an aperturedbase section 3I2 which connects the same fixedly to the arm 39 by thesame U-bolt 4I that fastens the outer lift arm 39 to the rockshaft 38.The arm 3 is provided with an apertured outer extension 3I3 which isapertured to receive a pivot pin 3I4. The latter is tapped and receivesthe threaded portion 3I5 of a connecting rod or link 3I6, the rear endof which is also threaded, as at 3l1, and is screwed into a tapped bosssection 3l9 carried by a clutch controlling cam member 32 I. A lock nut322 serves to secure the connection between the link 3I6 and the cammember 32L The clutch controlling cam member 32I is of particularconstruction. The cam member 32I includes a cage-like structure having apair of inner bars 325 and 326 which are interconnected by a roundedsection 321 at their rear ends and spaced apart at their forward endsand offset in a generally vertical direction, as indicated at 328. Apair of cam sections 33I and 332 in the form of generally longitudinallyextending bars are joined together and with the rounded portion 321 ofthe inner bars 325 and 326 by a connecting section 333. At their forwardends the cam bars 33I and 332 are connected together and to the offsetupper and lower portions 328 by means of brace sections 334, this beingthe part of the member 32I that is tapped to receive the rear end of thelink 3 I6.

The inner surfaces of the bars 33I and 332 are shaped to lie against therounded head portion 23I of the member 289 that is fixed to the shaft201 while the inner bars 325 and 326 he against the laterally inner faceof the clutch flange 285; It

will be seen, particularly from Figure 2 that when wardly against theaction of the springs 293 so as to disengage the teeth 28l from theteeth 219 on the sprocket member 215, thus interrupting the drivebetween the member 215 and the shaft 201 which drives the seeding andfertilizer mechanisms, as described above. The cam member '32! is drawnforwardly, as just described, by the link 3 l 6 whenever the rockshaft38 is actuated to raise the tools by swinging upwardly on the lift arms39. The control member, such as the arm 3| I, may of course be mountedbelow, above, or rearwardly of the shaft 201'and operate the part 321 toengage or disengage the clutch C in the manner just described 7 a v Thecam member 32l may readily be disengaged by removing the pm 314 from thearm 313 i and then shifting the cam member 32I rearwardly until thespaced apart portions 328 will clear the flange 285. After the cammember 32l has thus been disconnected, the pin 295 may be removed andthe other parts disassembled. If desired, of course, the pin 295 may beremoved without disconnecting the clutch control member 321. In eitherevent, the clutch parts are readily removable to permit the easysubstitution of other sprockets for the sprockets 213 and 214,permitting a change in the rate of rotation of the shaft 201, sincealmost any size of sprockets may be mounted on the shaft 201 in theposition of the member 215 because there is no adjacent structure which,as a practical proposition, limits the size of sprocket that can be usedat this point.

In order to keep the chain 212 tight an arm 34! is pivotally mounted onthe seed hopper bottom. Preferably, the arm 34! includes a laterallyoutwardly directed section 342 on which a chainengaging roller 343 ismounted, preferably being held against displacement thereon by cotters344.

While we have shown and described above the preferred structure in whichthe principles of the present invention have been incorporated, it is tobe understood that our invention is not to be limited to the particulardetails shown and described above, but that, in fact, widely differentmeans may be employed in the practice of the broader aspects of ourinvention.

What we claim, therefore, and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In an agricultural machine, a shaft to be driven, a sprocket looselymounted on said shaft but held against axial displacement relativethereto in one direction, means for driving said sprocket, a polygonalmember mounted on said shaft, detachable means non-rotatably connectingsaid polygonal member with said shaft, a clutch member mounted on saidpolygonal member and shiftable axially relative thereto, clutch teethformed on said axially shiftable clutch member, said shaft extendingthrough said clutch member, a cam member mounted for translationrelative to said shaft and having means engageable with said axiallyshiftable clutch member for shifting the same axially, said shaftextending through said cam member, said polygonal member and saidaxially shiftable clutch member having cooperating means fornon-rotatably connect- 6. ing said members, and said cam member havingportions engaging said polygonal member and said axially shiftablemember for controlling the position of the latter. 7

2. In an agricultural machine, a shaft to be driven, a sprocket looselymounted on said shaft but 'held against axial displacement relativethereto in one direction, means for driving said sprocket, a polygonalmember mounted on "said shaft, a clutch member mounted. on saidpolygonal member'and shiftable axially relative thereto, clutch teethformed on said axially shiftable clutch member, said shaft extendingthrough said clutch. member, a cam member mounted for translationrelative to said shaft and having meansengageable with said axiallyshiftable clutch member for shifting the same axially,.said shaftextending through "said cam member, said polygonal member and saidaxially shiftable clutch-member having cooperating means fornon-rotata'bly connecting said members, and said cammember havingportions engaging saidpblygonal member andsaid axially shiftable memberfor controlling the position of the latter, ,and means releasablyconnecting said polygonal member with said shaft, disconnecting saidpolygonal member accommodating the removal of said cam memberand saidsprocket and clutch members to providefor the substitution'of a sprocketmember at different sides so asto vary the drive ratio.

3. In a clutch for agricultural implements having a drive member and adriven shaft, a noncircular part fixed to said shaft to rotate therewithand to be held against axial movement relative thereto, a clutch memberhaving a non-pircular bore slidable on saidpart and mounted thereon foraxial movementtoward. and away from said drive member and constraineditoro- 1 tate with said part and shaft, spring means acting between saidpart andsaid clutch member for moving the latter toward said drivemember, a cam member shiftable transversely relative to said shaft andhaving a slot through which said shaft extends and clutch-operating camsections embraceably engaging said part and said shiftable clutch memberon opposite sides of said shaft for moving said clutch member toward theend of said part opposite said drive member and therefore out ofengagement with the latter, and means for shifting said cam member.

4. In a clutch for agricultural implements having a driven shaft, adrive member mounted for free rotation on said shaft, an abutment onsaid shaft to limit axial movement of said drive member in onedirection, a sleeve-like member having a non-circular exterior surfacefixed to said shaft at the other side of said drive member and limitingaxial movement thereof in the other direction, a clutch member shiftableaxially along said sleeve-like member into and out of clutchingengagement with said drive member, said axially shiftable clutch memberhaving a non-circular opening and fitting over said sleevelike member soas to rotate with the latter, biasing means acting against said clutchmember to shift the latter toward said drive member, and a cam memberacting between said sleevelike member and said clutch member forshifting the latter out of clutching engagement with said drive member.

5. The invention set forth in claim 4, further characterized by meansdetachabl connecting said sleeve-like member with said shaft, thedetaching of said sleeve-like member providing for amen-s6 thedismounting of said cam member, drive member, and clutch member fromsaid shaft.

6. In an agricultural implement including a shaft to be driven: clutchmechanism for controlling the driving of said shaft, comprising a partadapted to be fixed to said driven shaft, a driving member adapted to bejournaled for rotation on said driven shaft, said driving member beingmounted forrotation relative to said shaft adjacent one end of said partand having a clutching section, abutment means carried by said shaft andacting against said driving member to prevent the latter from movingaxially along said shaft away from said part, an axially shift ableclutch member having a clutching section adapted to operatively engagethe clutching section on said driving member, means for mounting saidshiftable clutch member non-rotatably on said shaft but accommodatingaxial movement of said clutch member along said shaft, said clutchmember beingdisposed between said driving member and said part and saidclutch member having a flange, a cam member having cam sectionsengageable, respectively, with said flange and said part, said camsections acting against said part to draw the clutch member axially ofsaid shaft toward said part and out of engagement with said drivingmember, whereby the latter rotates freely on said shaft when the clutchmechanism is disengaged, and means for supporting said cam member onsaid shaft.

7. In a clutch for agricultural implements having a driven shaft, adriving member rotatably mounted on said shaft and including a clutchsection, a clutch member having a clutch section and non-rotatablyconnected with and mounted for axial movement onsaid shaft, spring meansbiasing said clutch member for movement in one direction along saidshaft toward the clutch section on said driving member, an

8 abutment on said shaft adjacent said shiftable clutch member andspaced therefrom on the side thereof opposite said driving member,spring means acting against said abutment and said shiftable clutchmember for moving the clutch section thereof into engagement with theclutch section of the driving member, a cam member shiftabletransversely relative to said shaft and having converging cam sectionsengageable embraceably on opposite sides of said abutment and saidshiftable clutch member on opposite sides of said shaft, and means forsupporting said cam member for transverse movement on said clutch memberand said shaft adjacent said abutment, so as to cause transversemovement of said converging cam sections to act against said abutmentand move said shiftable clutch member toward said abutment and away fromthe clutch section on said driving member.

WILLIAM P. OEHLER. GUY W. ADE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 274,351 Main Mar. 20, 1883795,808 Armitage et a1 Aug. 1, 1905 1,296,042 Bralone Mar. 4, 19191,315,578 Rock Sept. 9. 1919 1,405,001 Reichelt Jan. 31, 1922 1,432,581Walker et al Oct. 17, 1922 1,438,486 Gorman Dec. 12, 1922 1,618,254Wilson Feb. 22, 1927 1,985,370 Hand Dec. 25, 1934 2,260,770 BrownleeOct. 28, 1941 2,332,743 Morris Oct. 26, 1943

